St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-18
THE GRAIN BILL.
MIR. DOnBeily Gives a Lucid Explain.
atiOn OF its Meaning and Effect.

Ignatius Donnelly, asked to explain the
grain and warehouse bill introduced by him,
made following the statement to a GLOBE
reporter:
The bill is largely the same recommended by
the railroad and grain commission in their
last report. It differs, however, in some i'm
portant particulars 1t provides that there
shall be appointed in each county, by the
county commissioners, not more than three
local inspectors. at the principal grain mar
kets in the county, who shall act as a sort of
referees whenever disputes arise between
the seller and the buyer of grain to determine
the grade thereof. The present system of in
spectlon amply protects the elevator man
in the country town from being defrauded by
the elevator man at Duluth, Minneapolis or
st. Paul, but there was nothing in the law to
protect the man who raised the grain from
being defrauded by the local elevator man.
Under his bill, if a farmer was not satisfied
with the grade given him at the
elevator there would Oe, near at
hand, a local inspector on whom
he could call, probably u well-posted mer-
chant in whom everybody had confidence,
who would come forward and grade the
wheat. He would receive Il fee of 20 cents
per wagon-load, to be paid by the party to
the dispute against whom he decided. The
same man would also be local inspector OF
weights. If the warehouseman was cheating
the farmers the local inspector would prose
| less than So, would be divided between the
| inspector and the state inspection fund, half
and half. Thus the local inspector would
| have an interest in securing honest weights
| for the farmers. The local inspector would
| receive q small salary, say $500 per year in
addition to his fees. This would come out of
|, the grain inspection fund.- to be raised by an
| inspection charge on all grain passing through
| st. Paul. Minneapolis and Duluth large
enough to support the whole system in the
| state. If fifty counties i'll the state had three
| local inspectors each this would make $50 in
! all and the salaries of these at $500 each
| would amount to $4,000 If 40O00 900 bush
! els were inspected, charge OF Il of q cent
| per bushel would yield 100000, and this Il
| of q cent would probably save the farmers q
| loss OF or 10 cents per bushel in stealage on
| grades. There was 70 difficulty in getting
men to take $500 postofces, and there would
| be none Ill getting local merchants, who were
| familiar with wheat grades, to take the Office
| OF local Inspector at that salary and the fees.
| The bill provides that every Wareh ouse shall
| be licensed, and if the warehousemau is
caught cheating his license will be revoked
| and never renewed. The local inspectors
will publish annually report showing how
many bushels of No. wheat went into the
warehouse and how many went out,
and the railroad and wareh oIse
| commission will investigate any house
| where less No. 1 wheat went in then went
| out. If at the end of the year the ware
! nouSeman books showed that he had large
| surplus on hand, which ne could not account
| for, as compared with the amount received,
! the presumption would be that he had stolen
| 1t from the people by false weights, and the
! local inspector would sue for and recover the
| value Of the same for the benefit of the state
| wheat inspection fund. Publicity would be
given to all the acts of q warehouseman, and
the shameless system of robbery on weight
aud grades to which the farmers have been
| subjected for twenty years, would be brought
| to an END.
How do you do when the elevator man is
| not satisfied with the grade given By the
| Inspector"
In that case he has a right of appeal to the
chief inspector at st. Paul. A small sample
sack of the grain is made up and sealed and
sent TO ST. Paul. In the meantime the eleva-
tor man is obliged to issue ticket to the
farmer for the grade fixed by the local in
specto but the ticket will state on its face
that appeal has been taken and that the
grade named is liable to be changed. The bill
is carefully guarded at every point to do
exact justice between the warehouse